Approaches of Sustainable Development

4 main Approaches.
1. Appraisal of the Environment:
Assessment of environmental conditions is prerequisite for initiation of
any sustainable development project. The symbiotic relationship
between local ecology, social structure and economic conditions of the
area concerned should be taken into account.

2. Estimation of the Environmental Impact:

Environment and its positive use is a key factor for sustainable
development. Negative impact on environment through unplanned
development may mar sustainability as a whole. The development which
creates complete social and environmental harmony is only classed as
sustainable. To achieve this goal, identification of the major positive
aspects and its optimum utilization and monitoring is necessary.

3. Natural Resource Accounting:

Brundtland Commission (1987), set up by World Commission on
Environment and Development, in its report ‘Our Common Future’

“Thus, figuring profits from logging rarely takes full account of the
losses in future revenue incurred through degradation of the forest.
Similar incomplete accounting occurs in the exploitation of other
resources, especially in the case of resources that are not capitalized in
enterprise or national accounts: air, water and soil. In all countries, rich
or poor, economic development must take full account in its
measurement of growth of the improvement or deterioration in the stock
of natural resources”.

Robert Repetto (1988) in his book ‘Global Possible’

According to him, the natural resources like clean air, soil, water, forest,
marine resources and livestock deterioration and exhaustion is not taken
into account when Gross National Product of a country is calculated.

But natural resource loss directly affects national productivity, resource

creation and national income. Ecology and economy is intricately
related. Any loss in ecology must hamper economic prosperity.
Therefore, natural resource accounting is mandatory for sustainability of
development.

Yusuf J. Ahmed, Salah- El-Serafy and Ernest Lutz in

their World Bank report “Environmental and Resource
Accounting: An Overview”
“Gross domestic product is essentially a short-term measure of total
economic activity for which exchange occurs in monetary terms…it is
less useful for gauging long-term sustainable growth partly because
natural resource depletion and degradation are being ignored”.

The United Nations System of National Accounts (SNA) and other

modified accounting system of natural resources is now being adopted
by very many countries. These systems consciously tries to eliminate the
tussle between environment protection and economic development. The
effect of indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources for economic
development is fully exposed in this system.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

in 1985 in a treaty “Declaration on Environment: Resource for the
Future” declared that during the implementation of development projects
environment should be taken with proper consideration.

Natural resource accounting can be termed as environmentally adjusted

G.N.P. or otherwise known as “Sustainable Gross National Product”
where all depleted, exhausted resources be it renewable or non-
renewable are subtracted along with qualitative degradation of natural
resources.

4. Government Policies and Economic Outlook:

The widening gap between poor and rich countries, inequality
among individuals, massive trade, capital flow and lack of
uniformity in government policies hamper sustainability in
development. The dearth of integrated, coherent development
policies, lack of price incentives, awareness and absence of
information campaign may hamper sustainable development,
seen in most of the underdeveloped nations.